Current Affairs Quiz - April 2022

Notes:
The Lok Sabha passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill seeks to unify the three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single and integrated entity, for better planning and optimal utilisation of resources.
Through the bill, the Centre proposed to appoint a ‘Special officer’ who will discharge the functions of the elected wing of councillors till the meeting of the new corporation is held. The bill is expected to give more autonomy to the unified corporation.

Notes:
The Business Blasters programme of the Delhi government provides Class 11 and Class 12 students with seed money worth Rs 2000 each for developing business ideas.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Delhi government’s business blasters programme should be implemented in colleges and universities. This is to ensure that the entrepreneurial ideas of the students shall be encouraged after school education.

Notes:
Gujarat’s Surat has become the first city in the country to get a processed steel slag (industrial waste) road.
It has been built as part of a joint-venture project by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Union Ministry of Steel, NITI Aayog, and Arcelor-Mitttal-Nippon Steel. The slag is generated from a steel furnace in the form of molten flux material as an impurity.

Notes:
Arunabha Ghosh, been appointed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the ‘High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities’.
Arunabha Ghosh is the CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a climate and energy think tank. The expert group will be chaired by former Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna.

Notes:
Afghanistan is the the world’s biggest opium producer, at present. Recently, the Taliban announced a ban on the cultivation of poppy in Afghanistan.
The production, use or transportation of other narcotics was also banned. As per the United Nations estimates, Afghanistan’s opium production was worth USD 1.4 billion in 2017. It has been continuously increasing in recent months.

Notes:
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that India’s merchandise exports rose to a record high of USD 418 billion in the 2021-22 fiscal.
The rise is due to the higher shipments of petroleum products, engineering goods, gems and jewellery and chemicals. India’s goods trade (exports and imports) crossed USD 1 trillion during 2021-22. India’s imports also touched an all-time high of USD 610 billion.

Notes:
State-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and ReNew Power have announced a joint venture (JV) company to develop the green hydrogen sector in India.
India plans to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030. In February, the Centre launched the country’s first green hydrogen policy as part of its energy transition plan.

Notes:
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 countries and came into force in 1961. It aimed to demilitarize the Antarctic zone and establish it to be used for peaceful research activities. India signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1983.
Recently, the Union Earth Sciences Minister Dr Jitender Singh tabled the draft Indian Antarctic Bill, 2020.  It is the first domestic legislation with regard to Antarctica in India. It extends the jurisdiction of Indian courts to Antarctica. As many as 27 countries have domestic legislations on Antarctica.

Notes:
Japan’s Nakagin Capsule Tower, a landmark in Japanese architectural history, is set to be demolished by mid-April, due to its ageing.
Nakagin Capsule Tower was built in 1972 by Kisho Kurokawa. It is a thirteen-storey tall building and the tower comprises two buildings that contain 140 similar capsule units. The tower was shortlisted to be a world heritage of Modern Buildings and Sites in 1997.

Notes:
The United Nations Human Rights Council is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. It is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) suspended Russia from Human Rights Council as 93 countries voted in favour of the draft resolution, 24 countries voted against it, and 58 countries abstained. India abstained from voting on the draft resolution to suspend Russia from UNHRC.